Gabriel House, home from home for swimmers visiting Cork

Dover’s best known swimming Bed & Breakfast accommodation is Hubert House, but the B&Bs in Cork are better, (naturally, says a chorus of Corkonians). I know, I’ve stayed in both, and unlike Hubert House, Gabriel House on Summerhill in Cork is owned and run by an English Channel Soloist, Liam Maher, the tallest of The Magnificent Seven, and wife Kaye and it’s home-from-home for many of us when staying in Cork for swim-related events, (specifically parties). Apart from being a Channel swimmer, Liam and myself are the two recipients of the new-ish Sandycove Island Swim Club Hardship Hat Trophy, of which more below.

Liam is rarely noticed around the house, it’s day-to-day operation is by a small staff, but if you see a man who looks like he’s had half of another man stuck on top, that almost’s certainly Liam.

Liam (right) swimming with The Bull, Rob Bohane, at Sandycove last Saturday

The Bed and Breakfast is a noble part of the Irish accommodation vista and none are finer than Gabriel House. With the first annual Sandycove Island pre-season party (because we really needed another reason to have a party) at the weekend, a large group swam at Sandycove in the afternoon, kicking off “the season”, even though we’ve all been swimming through the winter.

Gabriel House

I love staying at Gabriel House. It’s a lovely building high on Summerhill overlooking the city and above the Port of Cork. It has a large garden outside where Liam also keeps a flock of fowl (hens, geese, and turkeys) for the breakfast eggs, and grows fruit and vegetables as well as having a patio for guests to sit out.

Garden patio

You know the way everyone has some places that they only associate with sunshine and good weather (even in wet and windy Ireland)? Both Sandycove and Gabriel House are like this for me. I know I’ve been at both places when it was wet and cold, but I only ever remember both with the sun shining and a blue sky. One of the things about Gabriel House, is when I’m there, there’s often other swimmers staying there, because hey, it’s where we stay in Cork. At this stage it falls into that tiny category of places, where as soon as I arrive I feel like I am home. I’ve made breakfast for myself here in the kitchen at 5.30 am before a big swim, eaten last in the kitchen after a long a swim, slept almost half a day, and once partied all night when Liam shut the place down to the public, to celebrate the Channel swims of The Magnificent Seven of 2010.

Newly re-decorated reception

The house is big, bright and spotlessly comfortable.

Bright and homely

And then, there’s the Gabriel House breakfast. Anyone who’s travelled through B&Bs in Ireland know the breakfast is important and also knows it doesn’t always meet the requirements of Irish people. The breakfast in Gabriel House is the best. Ever. Their Full Irish is a thing of beauty, glorious to behold with free range eggs from outside, and the best of sausages, rashers, and even more rare, black and white pudding, instead of the cheap supermarket version many B&Bs serve up. We Irish people love our full Irish, (even though it scares many others, all that protein).

The full Irish - a thing of beauty

But if you are too scared for the glory of the full Irish, Gabriel House’s most popular item is porridge. Yes, humble porridge, but elevated to gourmet quality, the Gabriel House speciality is the Porridge cooked with Bailey’s Irish Cream. It should be on Masterchef. It should have its own Sunday Supplement article.

Dining room, overlooking the garden and city

Gabriel House is, according my extensive research, 4 minutes walk from MacCurtain Street and the Shelbourne bar, scene of many a swimming piss-up, down in the city, but is above any noise or traffic (Cork is a city of hills, pubs and churches). It’s 35 minutes drive from Sandycove for anyone who prefers to be city based than out in Kinsale.

Mmmmm...fresh eggs for breakfast

Is this article an ad? No, because Liam or Kaye didn’t know I was going to do it and have had no input into it, I sneakily took the photos and I wrote it because I love Gabriel House like a Cork home, like Varne Ridge is my Dover home.

If I could change only one thing about Gabriel House? I’d put a large chart of Liam’s English Channel swim map in the hall!

Next time you are visiting Cork, make Gabriel House your home from home.

The Sandycove Hardship Hat Trophy, to date, the only two recipients are Yours Truly and Liam.

The Hardship Hat Trophy, awarded to swimmers who suffered undue hardship during a swim, awarded by the three Sandycove swimmers who've ended up in hospital after a swim (Ned, Lisa & Rob), me for my EC solo and Liam for last year's Sandycove Island challenge.